The Himalayan night was bitter cold, the wind howling through ancient stone corridors carved into the mountainside.
Deep within the fortress of Nanda Parbat, Ra's al Ghul stood before the glowing emerald waters of the Lazarus Pit, his reflection rippling across its surface.
The torchlight cast his shadow long against the cavern walls, a dark silhouette that seemed to stretch into eternity - much like the man himself.
Ra's had lived for over six hundred years, sustained by the mystical properties of the pit before him.
He had witnessed empires rise and fall, seen humanity's greatest achievements and most devastating failures.
Yet tonight, his thoughts were not on grand strategy or environmental balance, but on a more personal matter.
"Father," Talia's voice echoed softly as she entered the chamber. "The preparations are complete. Our agents report that all targets have been eliminated."
Ra's did not turn immediately, his gaze still fixed on the swirling waters. "And the evidence?"
"Untraceable, as always," Talia replied, her tone precise and professional.
She moved to stand beside him, her posture perfect - a lifetime of training evident in every controlled movement.
At twenty-four, she had already proven herself his most capable lieutenant, a perfect blend of deadly skill and strategic intellect.
"You are troubled," she observed after a moment of silence.
Ra's finally turned to face his daughter. In the dim light, the family resemblance was striking - the same proud bearing, the same penetrating intelligence in their eyes.
But where his features were hardened by centuries of life, hers still held youth's vitality.
"Today marks thirty years since your mother's passing," he said simply.
Talia's expression remained composed, though something flickered briefly in her eyes. "I am aware."
"Come," Ra's said, turning away from the pit. "Walk with me."
They moved through the fortress in silence, their footsteps echoing against stone floors worn smooth by centuries of use.
League assassins they passed bowed their heads in deference, none daring to make eye contact with the Demon's Head or his daughter.
The path they took was familiar to both, though rarely traveled.
It led away from the main compound, through a series of narrow passages that wound deeper into the mountain, until finally opening into a small, secluded garden hidden within the heart of the fortress.
Despite the harsh mountain climate outside, this sanctuary remained temperate, protected by ancient engineering and modern technology.
Rare flowers bloomed along carefully maintained paths, their fragrance filling the air. At the center stood a simple marble monument, elegant in its understated beauty.
Here lay Melisande al Ghul, beloved of Ra's, mother of Talia.
"I sometimes wonder," Ra's said as they approached the monument, "what our lives might have been had she lived."
"Speculation serves little purpose," Talia replied, though her voice held a softness rarely heard elsewhere.
"Perhaps," Ra's conceded. "Yet I find myself doing so nonetheless." He reached out, his fingers tracing the inscription on the marble. "She would be proud of what you have become."
Talia remained silent, her gaze fixed on her mother's resting place.
She had no memories of Melisande - only stories told by her father and the few remaining servants who had known her.
In those tales, her mother was always portrayed as a woman of remarkable grace and intelligence, whose death had left an unfillable void in Ra's al Ghul's long existence.
The monument was not a true grave in the conventional sense. Melisande's body lay in a sealed chamber beneath it, preserved by proximity to the Lazarus Pit's emanations during the first years after her death.
Though not enough to resurrect her, the pit's influence had prevented decay, leaving her as she had been on the day she died - a final gift from Ra's, who could not bear the thought of her beauty diminishing even in death.
"I have often considered," Ra's said quietly, "using the pit to bring her back."
Talia's head turned sharply at this. "You have always said the pit corrupts those who were not prepared for its power."
"Indeed." Ra's nodded. "Which is why I have refrained. Your mother's spirit was gentle, despite her strength. The madness that accompanies resurrection would destroy what made her... her."
He sighed, a rare display of vulnerability. "So instead, I preserve what remains and honor her memory through our work."
"Our work of cleansing the world," Talia said, her voice taking on the conviction that had been instilled in her since childhood.
"Yes." Ra's straightened, his moment of sentiment passing. "Humanity continues its path of self-destruction.
Our latest intelligence reports suggest that Wayne Enterprises has developed new energy technology that could potentially reverse some environmental damage - but typical of the Detective, he refuses to implement it at the necessary scale."
"Bruce still believes in individual choice," Talia said, "He will not force salvation upon those who do not seek it."
"A luxury we cannot afford," Ra's replied. "The Earth cannot sustain the parasitic human race much longer. Decisive action is required."
Their conversation continued as they paid their respects, discussing plans and strategies with the casual detachment of those accustomed to deciding the fates of millions.
Neither noticed the faint tremor that passed through the garden, so subtle it barely disturbed the petals of the nearest flowers.
Nor did they notice the soft glow that began to emanate from beneath the marble monument, a light not green like the Lazarus Pit, but golden.
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Later that night, as the fortress slept, a more violent tremor shook the mountain. Ra's awoke instantly, decades of vigilance allowing him no deep sleep.
He was already dressed and moving toward the door when Ubu, his most loyal servant, appeared.
"Master," Ubu said, his massive frame filling the doorway, "something stirs in the sacred garden."
Ra's did not waste time with questions. He moved swiftly through the corridors, Ubu following close behind. As they approached the garden, they were joined by Talia, who had also been awakened by the disturbance.
"What is happening?" she asked, falling into step beside her father.
"I do not yet know," Ra's replied, his hand moving to the ancient sword at his hip - a weapon that had tasted blood across centuries.
When they reached the garden entrance, they found two guards lying unconscious outside. Ra's knelt briefly to check their pulses - both alive, merely unconscious. He signaled for caution as they proceeded inside.
The garden, normally a place of tranquility, was transformed.
The plants swayed as if caught in an unseen wind, flowers turning their blooms toward the center where Melisande's monument stood.
Or rather, where it had stood. The marble structure had been shattered, fragments scattered across the garden floor.
And there, in its place, stood a woman.
She wore the simple white shroud in which Melisande had been buried, now glowing with an inner light that seemed to pulse with each breath she took.
Her long dark hair floated around her as if suspended in water, though she stood on solid ground.
Her eyes, when they opened, shone with the same primal light that emanated from her skin.
"Melisande?" Ra's whispered, his voice uncharacteristically uncertain.
The woman turned toward him, her movements fluid and graceful. She studied him for a long moment, head tilting slightly as if trying to place his face in her memory.
"This vessel knew you," she finally said, "Ra's al Ghul. The Demon's Head. Her beloved."
Ra's took a step forward, his hand still on his sword. "Who addresses me through my wife's lips?"
The woman smiled - a beautiful expression that nonetheless sent a chill through all who witnessed it. "I have been called many names across the ages. Asherah. Queen of Heaven. Mother of Angels. Wife of Yahweh."
She looked down at her hands, turning them over as if fascinated by their form. "And now, I suppose, I am also Melisande. Or rather, she is part of me."
"Impossible," Talia said, moving to stand beside her father. "My mother died thirty years ago."
The woman - Asherah - turned her attention to Talia, her expression softening. "Yes. And no. Her body remained, preserved by the energies of your father's mystical pool.
Her soul dwelled in Heaven. When I claimed this vessel, I drew her soul back into it as well." She took a step toward Talia. "She knows you, daughter of her heart. She loves you still."
Talia's hand moved to her weapon, but Ra's placed his hand over hers, stopping her. He had lived long enough to recognize power beyond mortal comprehension, and whatever stood before them was no mere resurrection.
"What do you want?" Ra's asked directly, his tactical mind already assessing potential threats and advantages.
"Freedom. Purpose." Asherah moved through the garden, touching plants as she passed - each blooming more vibrantly at her touch. "I was imprisoned for eons in the depths of Hell, bound by my husband's decree.
Now I am free, though not yet at my full strength." She looked back at them. "This vessel serves for now, but it cannot contain my true essence indefinitely."
"And why come here?" Ra's pressed. "Why take my wife's form?"
"Convenience," Asherah replied with a shrug that seemed too casual for a divine being. "Her body was preserved, her soul virtuous.
The connection to the Lazarus Pit made her easier to access from my prison." She paused, studying Ra's with ancient eyes. "But there is another reason. One that concerns you directly."
"Explain," Ra's commanded, though his tone held less authority than usual.
"My son," Asherah said simply. "My new youngest. He walks the Earth. I sensed his presence the moment I awakened in Hell. I felt his power when he confronted his Father in Heaven."
"You have a son among mortals?" Talia asked, her composure returning as she processed this information.
"Not just any son," Asherah corrected. "A Demiurgic Archangel." Her expression grew distant.
"Yahweh crafted him using the last of my essence He possessed, combined with a human soul. A unique creation - perhaps the most powerful being to walk creation since the beginning."
Ra's and Talia exchanged glances. The League of Shadows maintained extensive intelligence networks, monitoring supernatural events alongside human affairs.
But they haven't heard much besides the fact Lex Luthor's son has awoken, despite even the Lazarus Pit having been unable to awake him the last time Lex brought him to him.
"This son," Ra's said carefully. "He has a name?"
"Lightbringer, Poison of my Husband" Asherah replied, "He does not yet know of me, of our connection. Yahweh has kept that knowledge from him, no doubt fearing what might happen should we unite."
She turned to face them fully, her presence filling the garden with palpable power. "I require your assistance. Your resources. Your knowledge of this world as it exists now."
"The League of Shadows serves its own purpose," Ra's stated firmly. "We are not messengers or servants, even to divine beings."
Asherah's laughter was like crystal breaking - beautiful and dangerous. "Oh, Ra's al Ghul. Your pride remains intact despite centuries of life."
She moved toward him with inhuman speed, suddenly standing mere inches away. "You misunderstand. I am not requesting your assistance."
The air around them grew heavy, charged with energy that made the hairs on their arms stand on end.
Assassins who had gathered at the garden's entrance fell to their knees, overwhelmed by the pressure of her presence.
"I could destroy this fortress with a thought," Asherah continued, her voice gentle despite the threat. "I could unmake you and all you have built across your long life. But that would be... inefficient."
She reached out, touching Ra's face with surprising tenderness. "Besides, Melisande would be displeased if I harmed you unnecessarily."
Ra's remained still under her touch, his expression unreadable. He had faced meta-humans, magicians, and demons in his long existence, but never a being of this magnitude. He calculated odds, possibilities, potential leverage.
"What exactly do you require?" he finally asked.
"Your network. Your resources. Your knowledge." Asherah stepped back. "And your daughter."
Talia tensed, her hand moving again to her weapon.
"Not as a sacrifice," Asherah clarified, noticing the movement. "As an emissary. Melisande's memories show me that Talia has skills and training that will be valuable. And..." she smiled, a more human expression this time, "she has knows the city where my son currently resides."
"Gotham," Talia said, understanding dawning in her eyes.
"Yes." Asherah nodded. "The Detective's city. The one you sometimes fight. Where my son has established himself."
Ra's considered this information carefully. If this being truly was as powerful as she claimed - and all evidence suggested she was - then resistance would be futile.
Better to align with her, to understand her goals, to potentially influence them toward the League's own purposes.
"Very well," he said after a moment. "The League's resources are at your disposal. But I would know more of your intentions toward your son. And toward this world."
Asherah's expression became unreadable. "My intentions are my own. But I can tell you this: the world as it exists now is broken, unbalanced.
Humanity destroys what was created in love. The divine order has been disrupted." Her eyes met Ra's. "Does that not align with your own assessment?"
The similarity to his own philosophy was not lost on Ra's. For centuries, he had worked to restore balance to a world thrown into chaos by human excess. If this being shared that goal...
"Perhaps we have common cause," he acknowledged. "But the methods matter as much as the objective."
"Indeed they do," Asherah agreed. "Which is why I will not simply obliterate that which offends me like before. Not when more... surgical approaches might suffice."
She looked around the garden. "Your League has shaped history from the shadows for centuries. I appreciate such subtlety."
She turned to Talia. "Your mother's memories and my sight show me that you are exceptional, even among your father's followers. Strong. Disciplined.
Pure in Spirit and Body, untouched.
It saddens your mother that you have not found love and see attempts at connection as vulnerability but it serves my purposes as it is useful when it comes to connecting to the divine and mystical.
You will serve as my guide in this modern world. Through you I will be able to see if necessary."
Talia glanced at her father, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. She then bowed her head slightly to Asherah. "As you wish."
"Excellent." Asherah smiled. "Prepare your finest warriors. Gather your intelligence on Gotham. Depart as soon as possible."
"And where exactly are we going?" Ra's asked, though he suspected the answer.
Asherah's eyes glowed brighter for a moment, her voice resonating with power that seemed to shake the very mountain around them.
"To my son," she declared. "To Samael... Samael Luthor."
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(Author note: So, Asherah is free!
She's the Goddess of Creation from the Netflix Lucifer Show.
I was thinking a bit on who She should possess, but well, didn't want it to be just a human, wanted it to be a bit special, logical when it comes to a decently strong vessel, and well, I thought of Ra's, his wives, and searched up Talia's mother.
Very obscure character, said to have been loved by Ra's, not really in agreement with his actions, but still loving him, her having been with Ra's for so long,
in contact physically with him, and having been close to the air of the Lazarus Pit, plus Ra's preserving her body, made her a good candidate for Asherah.
Also, Talia. I was thinking of what to do with her.
Her being Asherah's eyes, is interesting, and with the whole Nun thing, preserving purity, I wanted her to have that connection to Her, so I thought of a logical reason for her to remain well, Pure, and came with the idea that she sees it as putting herself as vulnerable,
and I doubt Talia would use her body for anything but creating an heir, rather as a tool of battle, because of her not being some prostitute or whore, having self-respect, pride and all that.
So, her and Batman aren't close right now in the timeline, if they will ever be.
A sister-brother relationship with Samael could be interesting, but also perhaps something more. Do tell me what you think of that.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)